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Rúben Neves was the hero for Portugal with a injury-time decisive strike in their World Cup qualifying clash against the Republic of Ireland, after the Irish goalkeeper had saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo.

Match Summary

Neves nodded in during stoppage time to claim a 1-0 victory, four years after Ronaldo had bagged a brace late on to overcome a resilient Ireland team.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men appeared poised to leave Lisbon with a well-earned draw, but in the end left empty-handed, despite restoring a significant amount of pride with a battling display that overshadowed some of the memories of last month’s embarrassing loss in Armenia.

Nevertheless, the defeat leaves them facing elimination, with their initial trio of Group F games having produced only a solitary draw. They need to beat Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday to maintain any hope of claiming a playoff spot.

Key Incidents

• The Liverpool keeper looked to have secured Ireland a draw when he superbly saved Ronaldo’s spot-kick with his outstretched foot after Francisco Trincão’s effort had struck an Irish defender’s arm.
• Neves saved Portugal in the opening moments of added time when he directed a delivery from the wing past the Irish goalkeeper.

Other Qualifying Results

Group F

Hungary boosted their chances of qualifying by picking up their initial victory with a 2-0 victory over Armenia, moving above their opponents into the runner-up spot behind Portugal in Group F. A Hungarian forward gave Hungary the advantage in the first half and a teammate made sure of the victory in second-half added time.

Group K

Serbia suffered a 1-0 loss at home to Albania, with the outcome meaning the Three Lions can now secure their passage from their qualifying group by beating Latvia on Tuesday. Rey Manaj netted the decisive strike for Albania with a neat volley in late stoppage time.

The Latvian side difficulties in their group persisted as they were forced to a two-all draw at home by Andorra. An Andorran player found the net for the away side 12 minutes from time to claim them their first point of the qualifying campaign and extend Latvia’s winless run to several matches.

Group E

The Spanish national team maintained their dominant Group E run with a comfortable win over Georgia after goals from a Spanish attacker and Mikel Oyarzabal in Elche. The result extended the European champions’ flawless run in qualifying, having scored 11 goals in three matches without letting in a goal.

In spite of the unavailability of players such as Lamine Yamal, another forward, and the midfield anchor due to fitness issues, the Spanish squad showcased their dominance against a Georgia team that spent most of the match sitting back. Spain controlled the encounter with over eighty percent possession, and the visitors did not have one shot on target or create a scoring opportunity, with only goalkeeper their keeper averting a rout.

Pino broke the deadlock in the first half from a well-executed dead-ball routine, and his compatriot secured the win in the 64th minute with a spectacular set-piece after Mamardashvili had denied a Spanish player’s spot-kick.

Additional Scores

• The Turkish national team bounced back with a 6-1 victory over the Bulgarian side to keep the pressure on the group leaders in their section. Real Madrid’s a young talent was among the goal-getters.
• Italy boosted their hopes of at least reaching the qualifying playoffs with a 3-1 win away to Estonia, thanks to goals from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui, and a third scorer.

Gennaro Gattuso commented: “Our focus isn’t on the group leaders or Israel. We are aware of what we have to do.”

Italy failed to qualify for the last two global tournaments, twice missing out in the playoffs, and the dreaded playoff path now looks their most likely opportunity after Norway’s comprehensive hammering over Israel in their qualifying group. Norway are leading on 18 points from six games. The Italians have 12 points with a game in hand on their competitors and are a trio of points clear of Israel. Estonia stay fourth on three points. The top teams advance automatically for the tournament, with the second-placed sides going into the qualifying stage.

Italy host Israel on Tuesday, where a win would secure the runner-up position and, while they can still mathematically catch Norway on points, the Norwegians’ much better goal ratio means a qualifying place likely beckons for the Italian squad.